Buying a Second Cup franchise in Canada

Who publishes the Second Cup terms

We found no franchise page on secondcup.com. Foodtastic’s “Our Second Cup Franchises” page says Second Cup began in August 1975 as a kiosk in a shopping mall and calls Second Cup Café “the largest Canadian specialty coffee retailer”, and it carries a short “Franchise Conditions” list (as published by Foodtastic, read Oct 22, 2026). Every franchise figure on this page comes from that list. Deavo has not verified any of them, and the franchise disclosure document you receive before buying is the document that governs.

What a new Second Cup café is published to cost

The conditions list gives a franchise fee of $30,000, unencumbered capital required of $200,000 – $250,000 and a projected build cost of $550,000 – $650,000. Royalty is 7.5 % of gross sales; the National Ad Fund is 2% of gross sales; local area marketing is 1 % of gross sales. The build cost is published as a projection, not as a purchase price for an operating café, and the page does not say what it includes or excludes. Full detail is on the costs and fees page.

What the page says about locations

Foodtastic lists the conditions a franchisee’s site must meet: locations across Canada, a minimum trade area population of 50,000, shopping centres, entertainment centres, free-standing buildings in power centres, street locations, office towers, and university and hospital sites. It also lists urban, suburban and downtown-corridor sites, 400 to 2,000 square feet or more with a patio where possible, high traffic counts, ample parking, and new builds or retrofits. These are site criteria, not a list of towns where Second Cup is looking for franchisees.

What the page does not say

The page does not publish a net worth requirement, a term or renewal period, a training programme, or whether Second Cup sells existing cafés. If you are looking at a resale, ask the seller and Second Cup for those answers in writing. Deavo’s Second Cup listings on Oct 20, 2026 were in Ontario (3); a listing is not a published price. For how financing works on a franchise purchase, see can a franchise purchase be financed? and what financial requirements franchisors set for buyers.

Disclosure law where Second Cup is listed

Ontario, the one province with Second Cup listings, has a franchise disclosure statute. Where a statute applies, late or missing disclosure can give a buyer a statutory right to rescind, and that right runs on a deadline. Ontario’s Arthur Wishart Act requires the disclosure document to contain all material facts, so check it against the figures here, and note the day you actually receive it. See who has to approve a franchise resale before committing to a resale.